The entry of many retail giants into member warehouse supermarkets was within Chen Zhiwen's expectation. This kind of thing also happened in history, but that was in the 1980s. After all, Costco in history did not have the development it does now. So fast, so it would naturally be discovered much later by many retail giants.
The original Sam's Club store in history was first opened in 1983, but now it is five years earlier. The current Wal-Mart is not as strong as it was in 1983, but there are more variables in other giants, such as Celtic , Sears, etc., but the problem should not be big. After all, even if these companies are relatively strong now, they will be beaten by Wal-Mart in the next five to ten years, and the probability of success in the membership warehousing field is not high.
As long as I have sufficient funds in less than a year, I will definitely invest heavily to stabilize Costco's absolute dominance in this field.
A few days later, Bernie and Pierce returned to the United States. After registering Home Depot, Bernie went to Hong Kong again and signed a share split contract. That afternoon, Chen Zhiwen injected US$3 million into the joint venture. on the account.
A mere three million US dollars, even if it can be exchanged for 1% of the shares of Home Depot in the future, is still money earned. However, in order to maximize profits and increase his influence in Asia, Chen Zhiwen arranged for a dedicated team from Galaxy Trading to follow Bernie I went to the United States and tried my best to participate in the development of various new products within Home Depot and figure out Home Depot's needs, because maybe Bernie himself doesn't know what he needs.
The demand information is sorted and sent to Hong Kong, and then the team here searches for suitable raw material manufacturers across Asia. This can also reduce Home Depot's operating costs as much as possible. Even with shipping, many goods in Asia are cheaper than those in the United States. It is much cheaper, which is also the fundamental reason why the United States began to deindustrialize.
Chen Zhiwen’s previous promise to Bernie is still valid. Within the scope that Bernie is interested in, people from Galaxy will directly invest in buying a warehouse and then sublease it to Home Depot at a low price to ensure that Home Depot will not be stuck with financial problems in the early stage. Can develop quickly.
August is coming soon.
The hot weather has not affected Hong Kong's hot real estate market. Today's real estate scalpers are even more arrogant than last year. How many people surround the sales office just to get a qualification to buy a house, because in many popular communities, just one qualification to buy a house can change hands. It can be sold for several thousand Hong Kong dollars, which is comparable to the income from working for half a year.
The craziness of real estate has caused many discerning and smart people to give up their jobs, and even countless factory owners have "looked away." Instead of working hard in industry, why not speculate in real estate?
The sales office in Huangpu Garden was also surrounded by many people at this moment, and densely packed people lined up within the confines of the S-shaped iron frame.
Not far away, in the shade of a tree, Chen Zhiwen was drinking a Sprite and asked: "How much are the house prices in Huangpu Garden now?"
"A good house type is about HKD 600 per square foot, and a little less than HKD 500. Some late sales will be sold to Midea, Red Bull, Galaxy or Hutchison Whampoa insiders at a discount. The price is about HKD 400-450, but the quantity is very Less." Zhou Jiayang replied almost without thinking. Now Huangpu Garden is Hutchison Whampoa's largest source of income. In addition to port, retail and other businesses, everything else is making way for this large community. Naturally, he is very aware of the price.
"It's almost 2.5 times that of three years ago." Chen Zhiwen nodded and said. In 1975, the real estate market had just recovered from the crisis. At that time, even Taikoo Shing on Hong Kong Island only cost two to three hundred Hong Kong dollars. One foot is cheaper here in Hung Hom, but now it’s doubled or tripled.
"With the current trend, it is estimated that it will continue to rise." Zhou Jiayang said.
"Don't worry about it in the future. According to the previous plan, we will sell it all in these two months. Don't these scalpers like to hoard houses? Just give it all to them." Chen Zhiwen said.
The existence of scalpers has actually been driving the skyrocketing housing prices. Because of their existence, many people who just need it cannot buy a house, causing the price to rise. Once the price rises, other people who want to buy a house or want to speculate will want to buy a house even more, and the scalpers also benefit from it. Profitable, real estate companies can cash out quickly or make more money. After housing prices rise, the Hong Kong government can sell land at a higher price, and banks can lend more funds.
After a cycle, almost everyone makes money, even those who buy a house, because the house price rises after buying it.
Bubble-like wealth was formed in this way, and everyone "made money" in the process. Only those who have not yet bought it will become more anxious when they see the house prices rising every month, so they will rush in, which will lead to a gradual increase in house prices.
"Okay, I will pre-sell all the houses within two months." Zhou Jiayang promised.
"Huangpu Plaza, will it open soon?" Chen Zhiwen asked again. Huangpu Plaza is a large commercial square by the sea in front of Huangpu Garden. It is similar to the Wanda Plaza in later generations. There are several office buildings above the square, and various commercial buildings. Office buildings and hotels are a complement to the shopping mall.
"We are ready to open on October 10th," Zhou Jiayang said.
"The Harbor City is about to open in the first half of next year, and there may be some competition by then. Therefore, the business in Huangpu Plaza should be focused on civilians, cost-effective, and attract mainly local Hong Kong people. In this aspect, , you have to control it in the future and don’t cause internal conflicts with Harbor City." Chen Zhiwen thought for a while and said.
In terms of commercial attractiveness, no one in Hong Kong can compare with Harbor City. In the original history, the retail sales of Harbor City alone were as high as 7-10% of the entire Hong Kong. This includes the total data of various retail supermarkets. The main route that Harbor City takes is the luxury route. Even if there are non-luxury goods inside, the prices are higher than other places. The main revenue is from overseas tourists and local wealthy people.
In the past, Central could not compete with Harbor City to a certain extent, let alone other places. After Harbor City opened, all other businesses had to learn to change.
"We are located near a residential area. Except for the gold cosmetics sold on the first floor, the rest are actually not expensive." Zhou Jiayang said.
"Okay, just pay attention in the future." Chen Zhiwen nodded and said.
August is considered the node for most of Chen Zhiwen's real estate companies. Several real estate projects of Galaxy Real Estate have also reached pre-sale time, as well as Dad's Hengyi Real Estate. The properties in Central and Admiralty MTR stations will be pre-sold on the 17th. 90% of the property was sold within a week, with a total amount of HK$1.07 billion.
According to the original agreement with the MTR Corporation, Hengyi Real Estate made a net profit of HK$190 million after deducting construction costs, bank interest, etc.
Funds from all aspects have begun to flow back to his own company. Even Hengyi's private fundraising company, which has been attracting hot money in the name of investment funds, has also increased the interest rate by 2-4% in order to absorb more funds. All of this, All for the coming feast of financial markets.
Time soon came to September. Chen Zhiwen chartered a Cathay Pacific Boeing 737 and headed to New York, USA, with several subordinates who were proficient in international finance and legal affairs.
Henry Morgan personally came to the airport to pick him up. After seeing Chen Zhiwen, he said with a smile: "Eric, welcome to New York again. I have prepared a grand party for you. An international event is being held in New York City recently. There are a lot of models at the auto show, and I have prepared enough for you."
"What is a sufficient quantity?" Chen Zhiwen asked curiously.
"How about you stay here for a few days, and I will prepare three times the quantity for you, ensuring that each one is different? Is three times enough?" Henry Morgan said with a smile.
"You can attend the party, but forget about other things." Chen Zhiwen shook his head and said. In the late 1970s, a variety of mysterious diseases had appeared in the United States. Many young people inexplicably contracted and died from diseases that only the elderly without immunity would get. , and there is a chain of infection.
At present, the relevant scientists are not sure what the situation is, but Chen Zhiwen knows what it is. There was no movement in the past few years, so Chen Zhiwen didn't care, but recently many media in the United States have been discussing it, although the probability of encountering it is indeed not high. , but it’s better to restrain yourself and just have fun in Asia.
"Isn't this like your style?" Henry Morgan was a little surprised, but he didn't think much about it and said, "Let's discuss business first."
The prepared motorcade took the group to the World Trade Center, one of the tallest buildings in New York City.
"Do you work here?" Chen Zhiwen asked, looking at the two towering buildings in front of him.
"Yes, many banks in the United States have moved here. JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, and Goldman Sachs all have branches here, and many international law firms also have offices here." Henry Morgan said with a smile.
"Okay, let's go in." Chen Zhiwen nodded. Anyway, 2001 is still early.
The group arrived at the 60th floor of the South Tower of the World Trade Center. A corner here was rented by Henry Morgan. Although it was just a corner, the annual rent was as high as one million US dollars. The scenery was also very good, and they could see the Statue of Liberty and the sea off New York.
"Eric, this is a gift from me to thank you for our many years of cooperation." Henry Morgan suddenly came over with a box.
"Isn't there gold in this?" Chen Zhiwen looked at the briefcase-sized box and said with a smile.
"Gold is nothing, the things inside are much more valuable than gold." Henry Morgan smiled, then opened it and found a key. Then he took it out and said, "I bought this near Central Park. A luxurious apartment with an area of almost 3,500 square feet and a very good view. It has been renovated for more than half a year and no one has lived in it. If you come to New York in the future, you can live here."
"A house? A house near Central Park?" Chen Zhiwen was a little surprised, but after thinking about it, it didn't matter. As the only distributor of Midea arcades in the United States, even though he was squeezed many times, his net profit in a year was tens of millions. U.S. dollars are not a problem, after all, he can also suppress the dealers below.
"Actually, it's nothing. This apartment is just a drop in the bucket for you, Eric. I've also considered that you need to stay in a hotel every time you come to New York. It's better to have a house of your own, and it's near Central Park. A house will never depreciate in value,” Henry Morgan said.
"That's okay, I'll accept it." Chen Zhiwen wasn't pretentious, it was just a few million dollars.
"Okay." Henry Morgan smiled even more on his face and said: "I have sent the sample arcade machine of "Pac-Man" to some bars in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago for testing. The effect is pretty good, but it feels a little different. "Magic Cube" and "Space Invaders" are a little bit worse."
"This is normal. "Pac-Man" is not an intense or brain-burning game. It is a relaxing game. Even if this type of game is fun, it will not be very attractive to many people. Besides, in the past few years, everyone has played There are a lot of arcade games out there, and you will always get a little bored." Chen Zhiwen said nonchalantly.
Even if you play free home game consoles, or stand-alone games on mobile phones in later generations, people will get bored after playing too much, no matter how fun they are, let alone spend money.
"Pac-Man" is actually more suitable to be placed on a home game console, because it can consume a lot of time, including the previous three games. However, from the perspective of maximizing profits, of course it is to go to the arcade first and wait for the arcade. After all the profits are made, it will be launched on home game consoles. Even if Midea's home game consoles are successfully developed in the future, the release order of subsequent games will most likely be the same.
"Is there any other way?" Henry Morgan asked.
"It's not impossible. In theory, "Pac-Man" is more suitable for women. You can do a survey later to see if women in the bar would like to play more. In addition, you can consider sending "Pac-Man" to In American casinos, the protagonists of many casinos are men, and some women are more boring and can also play arcade games." Chen Zhiwen thought for a while and said.
In fact, even in later generations, the revenue of "Pac-Man" in arcades was not as good as that of "Space Invaders", but after it was released on home game consoles, it became popular all over the United States.
Currently, Midea's Hong Kong team is also in the United States and is working hard with the local team to develop the first-generation Midea home game console. This game console is only developed and optimized for four Midea games to ensure the smoothest fluency and lowest cost. The cost is much simpler than Atari's game engine.
When this game console comes out, Midea will be able to enter a new era.
"Okay, I'll try." Henry Morgan nodded and said.
"Actually, the main purpose of my coming to New York this time is not to understand the situation of arcade machines." Chen Zhiwen paused and said, "I want to cooperate with Morgan Stanley."
"Morgan Stanley? Are you planning to make financial investments?" Henry Morgan asked in surprise.
"Yes, I want to invest in a futures." Chen Zhiwen nodded and said.
In 1929, an unprecedented financial crisis broke out in the United States and around the world. The root cause was Wall Street. Afterwards, the U.S. government also carried out cutting operations on all banks. All U.S. banks were not allowed to conduct investment and commercial deposit businesses at the same time, and had to choose one or the other.
At that time, the Morgan banking consortium was divided into Morgan Stanley and J.P. Morgan Chase. The former was investment and the latter was commercial. However, the business was separated, but the equity was not. Like the Rockefeller family, it still controlled a large number of oil company shares.
"Which futures?" asked Henry Morgan.
"Henry, can you represent Morgan Stanley?" Chen Zhiwen asked with a smile.
"This, no, I'm just asking." Henry Morgan said.
"Actually, it's okay to tell you. I'm going to buy gold futures." Chen Zhiwen said.
It is impossible for the world, including all the elites on Wall Street, to know that by the beginning of 1980, the price of gold would reach 810 US dollars an ounce, and the current price is only about 210 US dollars. However, many people are also optimistic about gold, and those who buy gold futures Not much, and nothing to tell Henry Morgan.
"Okay, I understand. Morgan Stanley should have business in this area. I will find a professional for you tomorrow." Henry Morgan really didn't care at all and agreed.
(End of chapter)
